Princess Mononoke 2: The Shape Benders
by Kitsune Triforce
Summary: Two days after the Forest Spirit dies, Ashitaka and San are drawn into a fierce battle involving an ancient race of shape-shifters. With new allies, can they prevail in this dangerous quest? Special appearances by Seto and Mokuba!
1. Prologue: History of the Shape Benders

Princess Mononoke 2: The Shape Benders

By Rosa the Champion Duelist

Prologue:

Long ago, there existed two races alongside the beasts: those who knew magic, and those who did not. The ones who had no magical powers whatsoever were just called "humans" and they lived in towns and villages with other humans, ignoring all save their own kind.

The second race was the Shape Benders.

They received their name from their one and only magical ability: their power to "bend" their body into that of an animal, wild or tame. Shape Benders were almost completely indistinguishable from humans when not in animal form, the only difference being a ring of teal color surrounding the pupil in each eye. A Shape Bender could, as long as he did not transform in public, live disguised in a human town, working there and earning a living. When transformed, a Shape Bender could easily be distinguished from a true animal by several things. Their eyes are bigger, their mouths more expressive, and their outside appearance (an example of either fur or feathers) appearing rather scraggly.

Shape Benders were able to use their gift quite expertly to help themselves. A Shape Bender, in human form, could buy something from a human merchant and then return at night as an owl, rat or raccoon to steal his money back. They would also steal from shops and the rich of the villages, not caring if anyone got hurt.

This carried on for many years until the humans, finally recognizing the Shape Benders for what they truly were, had had enough. They attacked the Shape Bender settlements and caused them to suffer double the damage the humans had taken. The Shape Benders responded to this new hostility by transforming into wild beasts such as boars, wolves, and bears, to viciously attack the humans who were serving out justice. This attack/retaliate pattern went on for several years, resulting in large death tolls on both sides.

Finally, after one particularly devastating battle, the Shape Benders fled, running of into the vast forest to escape the vengeful humans. As they ran, they passed through the realm of the great Forest Spirit. When He saw them, He knew what they had done, and He punished them for it. From that moment on, if any Shape Bender were to use his power for evil, he would remain in the animal form he had used forever. With this new rule weighing heavily on their shoulders, the Shape Benders continued to head west, promising the Forest Spirit that they would find a place where they could forsake their evil ways and live in peace.

Eventually they found a valley deep in the mountains. They built a little village there, with houses and shops and a school for their children. The elders of their race set a big stone in the middle of the town square, symbolizing their promise to the Forest Spirit.

"We will never again kill or hurt without cause. We live here in peace, and hopefully someday the world will respect and trust us. We only seek to be forgiven for what we have done."

They continued to live there, for many years. They lived in peace with the animals of the woods, knowing that the Forest Spirit kept them safe from harm. He was their protector, and as long as He was around, they knew they were safe.

Then one day, everything suddenly, horribly, changed.

…………………………………

That's the end of the prologue. The next chapter will revolve around Ashitaka. You know the drill: Read and Review!


	2. Chapter One: Lost Memories

Princess Mononoke 2: The Shape Benders

Disclaimer: I forgot this in the previous chapter. I don't own anything for now, except Okrias and the bears. Oh, and I felt that San's wolf brothers needed names. They are Sakis, and Altren.

Chapter One: Lost Memories

…………….

Sakis the wolf bounded up the side of the mountain. With no trees left to hinder him, he was able to reach the top quickly. From his vantage point, he could see black smoke billowing into the sky towards the west. He wrinkled his nose in disgust. The fire was miles away but it still burned his nose.

"Are the humans still at it?" He wondered out loud. "There aren't any more trees to burn down, but…"

"It's a village on fire," a voice said from Sakis's right. "I believe the samurai are at it again, slaying the innocent."

A large raccoon had waddled up alongside Sakis. His cunning black eyes looked up at the wolf as he stood on his hind legs.

"How goes the rebuilding of the forest in your area? I'm fresh out of tree seeds."

"Ashitaka said he would bring more tree seeds soon, Okrias," Sakis replied, still scanning the horizon. "We're out of them on my side of the river, too. This rebuilding is going nowhere, though. There are too few of us left."

"It's almost Salmon Run time, though, isn't it? Okkeanos should be arriving from the west with his bears any day now. I'm sure they'll help."

Sakis narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. The bears were the most noble and respected of all the animals, but he doubted they would all help. Okkeanos, maybe, might help, but not all of the bears.

"When he gets here, let's ask him about that fire," Okrias said, nodding his head in the direction of the smoke. "He has to go through that mountain pass to get here."

Sakis nodded, continuing to watch the billowing smoke with narrowed eyes.

…………………..

Ashitaka was on his way to the former forest, leading Yakul. His elk friend was carrying several bags of tree seeds.

"We're almost there, Yakul," Ashitaka said, and then he smiled as he saw Altren trotting towards them.

"We're out of seeds," Altren said, eyeing the bags Yakul was carrying. "Did you bring more?"

"Yes, we brought more than enough for the rest of the week. How is it going?"

Altren was more upset about the lack of progress than his brother, and he shook his head. "It's going nowhere, Ashitaka. There are nowhere near enough of us to restore the entire forest." He fell into step alongside Yakul as they continued to head into the forest. "San's frustrated about it, too. We've managed to recruit a few of the animals, but we still aren't making much progress. All we can do now is wait for the bears to get here and hope that they help us."

Ashitaka glanced at the wolf. "You think they won't?"

Altren swished his tail slightly. "They come to this forest once a year, for the salmon run. It's their time to socialize with bears from different forests, and they might not want to stop to help us."

Yakul snorted. That's ridiculous. I think they'll help. They're friendly creatures, and this was their forest, too-why wouldn't they want to help? 

Altren sighed. Yakul had a good point, but still-would the bears really want to give up their social time?

"I take it that Yakul just said something that makes a lot of sense," Ashitaka said. He couldn't understand Yakul when he spoke, but San and the animal gods could.

"Yes, he did, and now I don't know what to think," Altren looked to the west. "I just hope the bears get here soon."

……………..

As it turned out, the bears were getting ready to head through the mountain pass.

Henu, a young bear with dusty brown fur, sniffed the air and then gave a disgusted snort.

"Do you smell that?" He asked the yellow-furred bear next to him. "It smells like smoke. My nose is burning."

The yellow bear twitched her ears. "Forget the smell, can you hear that?"

"It sounds like screaming!" A cub with red fur exclaimed.

"It is screaming," A deep voice said, as Okkeanos the bear god came up behind the three bears who had talking. He was huge, with red-brown fur that had silver streaks through it. "Humans are near here, and it sounds like a battle."

"A battle?" The cub asked excitedly. "Oohh…you mean with like, riffles and stuff? I wanna see!"

"You'll do no such thing," The yellow bear scolded. "Let Okkeanos and the others handle this."

"Aww, mom!" The cub whined.

…………………

Okkeanos picked a few of his strongest fighters to accompany him to the area on fire. Bravely leading the way, the large bear followed the sounds of battle as they grew louder and louder.

"Position your selves in a circle around this area," Okkeanos ordered. "Do not move until I say so."

One by one the bears obeyed, forming a loose circle in the brush. The minutes ticked agonizingly by. A fly buzzed in Henu's ear and he flicked it in annoyance. Next to him, an older bear with yellow-brown fur shifted his paws impatiently.

Suddenly, a loud wail sounded throughout the area as a young child ran into the area, closely pursued by a samurai. Okkeanos reacted instantly. With a loud, angry roar, he reared up onto his hind legs threateningly, glaring at the samurai. The human warrior paused, startled by the sudden appearance of the large bear. He soon regained his composure and swung his sword at Okkeanos.

Okkeanos dodged the blade and snatched the man's sword arm in his mouth. He clamped down hard, yanking backwards. The samurai's arm was torn clean off. Okkeanos dropped the man's arm, still clutching the sword, to the ground. Shaking blood off his muzzle, he yelled to his warriors over the man's screams of pain. "Now! NOW!"

The bear warriors leapt out of hiding just as the other samurai, hearing their comrade's cries of pain, arrived on the scene.

And that's when all hell broke loose.

…………………………

The Shape Bender Village was a place of utter chaos.

Everywhere, families were grabbing what they could, saddling up horses and trying to flee before one of the samurai caught them.

Seto, a fifteen year old Shape Bender, had been trying to saddle his and his brother's horse, Borrego, when a samurai had appeared out of nowhere, knocking Seto down and chasing his brother into the forest.

"Mokuba!" He cried, getting to his feet. He was about to give chase when an older man grabbed his arm, restraining him.

"Don't be a fool, boy," the man, whose name was Rishii, said in a gruff voice. "You'll get yourself killed."

Seto struggled to pull free. "That's my brother! I'm not about to let him get…"

A pain filled scream sounded out from the forest.

The samurai all stopped what they were doing, turning and running into the forest. As soon as the last samurai disappeared into the trees, loud roars and screams were heard.

"Sounds like some beasts are giving the samurai what for!" A man cried out.

Seto's eyes widened and he continued to try to break free of Rishii's grip. "Let me go!" When Rishii did not loosen his hold, Seto growled and quickly transformed into one of his animal forms, an eagle with silver feathers. With a loud screech, he flapped into the air and flew towards the forest as fast as he could.

All that Rishii still held onto was a few silver feathers.

"Idiot," He murmured, but there was admiration in his voice.

………………..

Okkeanos dipped his head into the stream to wash the blood off the blood on his muzzle. He then raised his head, water trickling down his chest. Most of the samurai had been killed, but a few had fled the way they had come, killing more people in their frantic attempt to escape the angry bears. As for the valley dwellers, almost all of them were killed or had run off somewhere.

Henu ran up to him suddenly, coming up from further down the stream.

"Lord Okkeanos, there's a human child in the water!" He panted.

Okkeanos was immediately on his way downstream, following the younger bear. "Show me."

Henu lead Okkeanos along the bank for five minutes before stopping and pointing at the middle of the stream.

"Right there, Lord. He's laying on that big rock. He must have fallen and cracked his head on it."

Okkeanos bounded through the water. He looked down at the child. He recognized him as the boy he had saved from the first samurai. The little boy was soaked and his breathing was labored. Okkeanos nudged the boy gently with his muzzle. The child moaned softly.

"He cracked his head, alright. But you were wrong, Henu. He's not a human-he's a Shape Bender."

"A Shape Bender? I thought they were just a myth," Henu said in disbelief, trying to get a good look at the young boy.

"They have a different scent from humans. Here, help me carry him."

Between the two of them, the bears were able to carry the little boy away.

…………………

If it hadn't been for the urgency of his mission, Seto would have enjoyed the feeling of the wind through his feathers and the sheer freedom he felt when ever he flew. He loved flying, but right now, his love for his brother was what was driving him. Spotting a clearing in the trees, Seto tucked his wings close to his body and pulled himself into a spectacular dive.

"Perfect landing," He said to himself, changing back to his normal form. "Mokuba? Are you here?"

A soft snuffing in the bushes startled him, but he relaxed when he saw Borrego come trotting towards him. "Good boy," Seto said with a smile as he hoisted himself onto the horse's back. "Come on. Let's find Mokuba."

They rode off into the trees together.

……………………

Okkeanos and Henu gently laid the unconscious boy on a bed of soft leaves and moss. The red cub, whose name was Bosa, edged towards the area slightly.

"Is he okay?" Bosa asked curiously.

Henu shook his head. "Better not get too close, son."

Bosa nodded and backed away.

The boy stirred and groaned. He opened his eyes, rubbing his head as he moaned in pain. "Where…where am I?"

"In the Forest of the Gods," Henu said in a gentle voice. "I am the Bear God Henu. What is your name, little one?"

The boy appeared to be lost in thought. A panic look surfaced on his face and he looked at Henu, speaking in a frightened voice. "I…I can't remember…"

"Where did you come from?" Okkeanos asked.

The boy shook his head, panic still in his eyes. "I don't know…I can't remember anything…"

Bosa couldn't stand it. The young cub felt very sorry for the young, nameless boy. Bosa jumped into the child's lap and started licking his face. "Cheer up, friend, we'll help you!"

The little boy laughed as Bosa's tongue ticked his face.

"He needs a name, if anything," Henu said to his father. "My mate and I will watch over him."

Okkeanos nodded. "Very well. From this day forward, he will be your responsibility. As for the name, I will give him one. He will be called Mystery, because that is exactly what he is. We know nothing of him."

"Mystery?" asked Seka, Henu's daughter. She was a sensible young bear with orange fur. "That's a nice name."

"Call him Myst for short," Bosa yelled, now enjoying being scratched behind the ears by the young Shape Bender.

"Very well," Okkeanos said with a smile, then he turned as a black bear came up next to him.

"Lord, some more humans are coming-and they have rifles."

Okkeanos nodded. "Thank you, Blackie. Come on, bears. We must leave before they arrive." He headed off into the trees, the other bears following.

Henu turned to Myst. "Climb on my back and ride. The forest is hard for a person to travel through on foot." He lowered himself and the boy climbed onto him, holding on to the large bear's fur tightly.

Within a few minutes, the forest clearing by the water was as empty as if nothing had even been there. The bears were gone.

………………………………...

….end of chapter one….


	3. Chapter Two: The Name Returns

Chapter Two: The Name Returns

…………….

"_Okay now, children, pay attention. This is the most important part."_

_He straightened up and looked at the man who spoke. He glanced at the teenager who stood next to the instructor, grinning nervously. He received an encouraging smile from the older boy, which caused his uneasiness to melt away. He refocused his attention on the instructor._

"_When you get ready to make the change, try to drive everything else out. Concentrate wholly on changing your shape. Distraction will only result in failure. Sisku? You go first."_

_A boy his age with tousled sandy hair stepped forward. Everyone went quiet, and Sisku scrunched his face up in concentration. As the onlookers watched, Sisku began to change slowly, his hair changing color from sandy to red orange. He began to grow smaller, and the next thing everyone knew, a small animal with red orange fur stood in Sisku's place._

"_A pine marten, eh? Well, that explains a lot," the Instructor said with a smile._

_The crowd laughed, excitement for the young boy's success running through them. The pine marten that was Sisku bared his teeth and gave a playful hiss._

"_Mokuba? It's your turn."_

_He stepped forward, ready, and…_

………….

Myst woke up, breathing hard. He looked around at the sleeping bears, then settled back down, confused by the strange dream. Something was telling him that it was not just a dream; he was remembering the memories that had been lost.

Henu had told the little boy that he was a Shape Bender and had the ability to transform, or would eventually. That fact, at least, explained why the boy had changed into a pine marten in his dream. Was that boy a friend?

Myst sighed, rolling onto his back. He stared up at the night sky. There was one other thing about that dream…the teenage boy who had smiled at him. Who was he? Myst had gotten a feeling of extreme encouragement and love coming from him. Was he a family member? A brother or a cousin?

Myst sighed and closed his eyes. Amnesia sure was frustrating…

"Can't sleep, little one?"

Okkeanos had noticed Myst wake up; the huge bear God had already been awake, keeping watch over his clan. Now he stood next to the little boy, watching him with unblinking dark eyes.

Myst rubbed his arm. "No, Okkeanos-san. I had a strange dream. It woke me up."

Okkeanos said nothing for a few minutes. Then he spoke.

"You were reliving the memories you lost."

Myst hugged his knees to his chest. "I think so," he whispered. Suddenly, he remembered something from his dream that he had forgotten. "I…I remember my name! Someone in my dream was talking to me, and they called me…Mokuba, I think." The little boy looked up at Okkeanos. "I'm sure of it! That's my name-Mokuba!"

Okkeanos gave the boy a stolid glance. "If you sure that is your true name, do you wish to be called by it?"

The little boy considered for a moment. "Yes."

"Very well, then," Okkeanos replied. He then did a rare thing for a bear God as old as he was-he smiled at Mokuba. "Do you think you can get back to sleep now? We will be moving out first thing in the morning, so you need as much rest as you can get."

Mokuba nodded. "Okay, Okkeanos-san. I'll try to go back to sleep." He watched as the large bear went back to his vantage point over the whole bear clan. After a moment, he settled back down, snuggling up against the bears who had taken charge over him. Sleep came quickly; soon the young boy was once again lost in his dream world.

………………………………

The night did not last long; soon the morning sun began to rise and burn away the faint mists that swirled over the ground. A lone bird chirped, then fell silent as something went past its hiding place in the forest.

Seto had abandoned riding his horse; he had left Borrego and told him to find his way to some place safe. Where he was headed certainly was not safe, he knew that much. The land Seto was preparing to enter was devoid of so many trees that it seemed a mistake to call it a forest. Seto had never been here before in his life, but he had heard the stories told of this place back home, and he recognized it for what it was, what it _had_been.

The woods of the Forest Spirit.

Seto looked around, shocked at the state of the "forest". In the stories, this forest had been a place of beauty; tall trees abundant everywhere, beautiful streams, flowers, insects, fish, and animals of every kind, and several Kodama spirits playing around the foliage of the trees.

It was not like that anymore.

Seto once again looked over his new surroundings, disgust evident on his face now. Whoever had done this was no better than the demons that were wandering more and more around the earth.

With a sigh, he proceeded into the former woodland, and then hesitated. Humans might have been the ones who had done this; he had no doubt that the animal Gods here, if any were left, would be angry with humans in general. In addition, Seto knew, even though he was not a human, he looked like one, and the animals would most likely attack first and ask questions later. He was not safe in his normal form. If he were hurt seriously, he would never find Mokuba.

He needed to blend in…what animal form should he take? Seto thought for a while, then remembered: The two main animal Gods in this forest were wolves and boars. He did not want to be a boar, but a wolf…Seto's main animal form was the wolf.

"Well, I'll be comfortable with that," He remarked to himself.

With that, Seto had transformed into his brown and grey wolf form. Now knowing that he was safe, he continued into the remains of the forest.

………………………………

Iron Town, once a bustling, fortress city that made iron to earn a living for its citizens, was now little more than a bright green hill covered with flowers and little tree shoots. Here and there, some of the old dwelling houses had been cleared of plant life and repaired enough to make them livable again, but for the most part, the people of Iron Town lived outside of their former homes.

As the morning sun warmed the waters of the lake that surrounded the town, Ashitaka returned from the forest, accompanied by Altren and Yakul. Altren often visited town with Ashitaka, gathering information and reporting it back to San. The humans and the animals had become tolerant of each other, though it was obvious by the way Altren kept sending glares at some of the men that it would be quite some time before the animals forgave the humans for killing the Forest Spirit.

Ashitaka got off Yakul's back once his destination in the town was in sight. He patted the red elk's side.

"You and Altren head on over to the stables now. Get yourselves a bite to eat and some rest. Altren, I'll come see you after I'm done with my business."

Altren nodded, turning to follow Yakul to the stables. He was looking forward to some nice food and a chance to rest his sore paws.

Ashitaka watched them go; the two seemed to be having a conversation. He shook his head, shrugged, and went into the nearest repaired building.

…………………………….

"Ashitaka, you certainly were gone a long time. How are things in the forest?"

Ashitaka ate the rice he had been offered. He swallowed, then replied, "Everything's fine, or as fine as it can be under the circumstances. Altren came with me today; he wanted to see what was going on in town right now."

Ashitaka was in the home of his friends, Toki and her husband Kohroku. After the whole incident with the forest spirit, he had needed a place to stay, and Toki and Kohroku were kind enough to offer up their house.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you, but Lady Eboshi wants to see you as soon as you've finished eating," Kohroku said. "I think it's important."

"Really," Ashitaka replied. 'I wonder what she wants now. Whatever it is, I'll be sure to tell Altren once I find out.'

………………………………

Riding on the back of a bear was fun at first, but after a few hours, Mokuba's legs began to cramp.

Henu looked at the young boy. "You can walk beside me if you want to stretch your legs."

Mokuba nodded, sliding off the bear God's back and onto the ground. He soon fell into step next to his bear guardians.

Bosa the red-furred bear cub was never still. He ran ahead of his parents, climbed up trees, dug in the dirt, then ran back to his family and did it all over again. After awhile, he got bored with this and bounded up next to Mokuba.

"Hey, Mokuba!" The young bear said excitedly. "Let's play tag!"

"Okay," Mokuba said with a smile. He liked the energetic little bear a lot. As the two youngsters chased each other, Henu watched them, smiling. His father, Okkeanos, came up beside him.

"He's doing better today, isn't he?" Okkeanos asked.

Henu nodded, watching as his daughter started playing with Mokuba and Bosa. "Yes. He's still wearing that bandage around his head, but he won't need it anymore in a few days. So, he remembered his name last night?"

Okkeanos gave a small smile. "He had a dream about one of the memories he lost, and he was called by name in it. It's a small step in the right direction of regaining his memories completely."

Mokuba came up to the two bears, carrying Bosa in his arms. "Henu, how much farther is it to where we're going?"

Henu shrugged. "Another day's travel, at least."

"Okay," Mokuba said. He hesitated before asking his next question. "Will there be anyone who looks like me there?"

Okkeanos answered him this time. "There are humans there, but I do not think that any Shape Benders like you live in that area. However, some of them might have come in this direction."

"If there aren't any, should I just pretend to be a human if they see me?"

Henu nodded in agreement. "That would probably be for the best."

Mokuba followed the bears deeper into the forest, the now sleeping Bosa still held in his arms.

………………………………

Seto's paws were beginning to get sore.

He had traveled several miles in a few hours, and was beginning to get tired. He came upon a river that rushed over some rocks, and he lapped up the cold water greedily. He raised his head after he had his fill and took stock of his surroundings.

Nothing new here; the forest was just as desolate as it had been where he had entered it.

Suddenly, he saw them.

A human girl and a large silver wolf were watching him on the far side of the river.

………………………………

I am so evil. What a place to leave off….well, read and review if you want me to write more!


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